Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Mt.Vernon, IN, US
Posts: 18

I got my Visor gdx yesterday and plan on purchasing some batteries in the mist of holiday shopping. Can Lithium Ion batteries be used? I also understand that NiMH rechargeable seem to be popular. Can anyone recommend a brand and a charger? Thanks a bunch!!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: East Lansing, MI, USA
Posts: 126

Any type of AAA battery can be used whether or not it's rechargable. The only problem with L. Ions is that they tend to loose their power really quick. This means that the Visor wont know that the power is low until it dies. This also means that you can loose your data when the batteries die. NiMH are popular becuase they act like normal batteries and loose their charge at a steady rate, not all of a sudden.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA
Posts: 126

Nutt,

There is also the minor problem that there is no such thing as a "AAA" Lithium Ion battery.

Dave

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 64

True, Lithium Ion batteries would be ideal for the Visor, combined with a cradle that recharges them overnight. The only problem is that they are significantly more expensive than standard AAA batteries, which is probably why Handspring decided to go with AAA. LiON batteries could easily add on an extra $70-100 to the overall price of the Visor, which does not make it quite as competitive compared to other units, mainly those of 3Com.

I think in about a year or so, they will probably offer a high-end unit with LiON batteries, but probably not in the low-end units, at least for awhile.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: East Lansing, MI, USA
Posts: 126

Oh darn, no L. Ion batts?

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 2

Li-Ions voltage is too high (3.7 volts).

Regular AAAs are 1.5v, NiMHs 1.2v. This has to do with the chemistry involved in the battery cell. Therefore Li-Ion AAAs do not exist at this time.

The slightly lower voltage of NiMHs doesn't matter/is mis-leading. Alkaline discharge goes from 1.5 to about 0.9 over the life of the cell while NiMHs remain fairly steady at 1.2 and drop off quickly at the end.